Talk It Out
by AragothwinElfBlade
Summary: PostDay 5 Chloe makes a call to a friend to talk it out.
1. Late Night Call

I don't own 24.If I did Jack would get his head out of his ass and see what was in front of him. Update: Jass (aka graywords-girl) coauthored this piece.

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Chloe took a deep breath and clutched the phone to her ear listening to the ringing. 'Pick up, pick up,' she chanted in her head. 'Please, dammit, Fauve, you never sleep.' There was a soft clicking noise as the phone on the other end was pulled from its cradle. 

A sleepy female voice muttered inaudibly. After a few seconds of a soft scratching sound Fauve spoke, "This isFauve.If you're Kamren Isaac, fuck you." A choked sob issued from Chloe's throat at the rude declaration. It was so classically Fauve it hurt to hear it. "Hello," the concern lacing the words was obvious, "Hello, are you alright? Who is this?" Bleak silence was the only response. Worried and irritated Fauve snapped, "If you don't tell me who this is I'm hanging up and calling the cops."

The harsh demand spurred Chloe into a response. "Fauve, I...I think I need to talk," she tried to explain awkwardly. Her teeth worried her lower lip as she fought tears.

"Chloe," Fauve was wide awake now. "Chloe, honey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Sitting on her bed, hanging on to the phone like it was her lifeline, Chloe bluntly spoke the truth as she always did. "No, I don't think I am."

Faint rustling over the phone suggested that the other woman was clambering out of bed. Chloe could see her clearly in her mind's eye. Fauve's wildly, multicolor hair would be sticking up like a sick porcupine drawing attention to the dark eyes that were the focus of the native Hawaiian's face. Her pajamas would be a ridiculous silky affair that revealed as much as it hid with bright colors and fluid movement. "Are you hurt physically?" The direct style and no nonsense attitude of Fauve's questioning made it easier for Chloe to understand her.

"No," Chloe whispered.

"How are you hurt?"

One hand unconsciously rose to cover her heart. "I think," Chloe said slowly, "that my feelings are hurt."

"Why do you think that," Fauve asked calmly.

Chloe hesitated. Talking with Fauve always made sense. Fauve always made sense. If there was one thing she had learned about dealing with the other woman, it was that the answer would come no matter how strange a turn the questioning took. "My chest hurts. It's tight and it feels like my heart is bruised. I wasn't hurt there, no blunt force trauma, bruising, no history of heart disease, no respitory illness, no reason for it to hurt." This was frustrating her, "It doesn't make sense."

Fauve's reply was analytical but soothing. "It's called a psychosomatic reaction. Your body is reacting to tramua caused in your mind. Do any other areas beside your chest hurt?"

Chloe shook her head negative as she spoke. "No, the rest of my body is tired but not hurting."

"Oh, Chloe," the sigh was sad. "What upset you?"

Moving the phone away from her ear Chloe glowered at it crossly. "You're supposed to tell me," she snapped into it.

No doubt Fauve would be rolling her eyes at that one. "Sorry. Let's start from the top. Walk me through your day starting immediately when you woke up."

Silence reigned once more as Chloe shifted back and forth in discomfort. The other woman didn't push, Chloe would talk eventually. Taking a deep breath, and then another, Chloe braced herself and began to description of her day. "You see, I woke up this morning with a guy in my bed who'll I never see again..." From there she covered everything. Fauve would gently interrupt sometimes, to ask for clarification or for more specific details about how Chloe felt, but mostly she listened. "...And he went home with her. I know because I drove him to her house because the doctor said he had a concussion."

"How did you feel when you did that?" Fauve asked her voice remaining as neutral as before.

Pursing her lips Chloe thought back and searched for an answer. "Angry," was what slipped out. "I was angry, at her, but more at him. After everything I did for him." She hesitated, her voice fading off. This had gotten very personal.

As if sensing her fear, Fauve reassured her, "The truth will set you free. And I need to know the truth to help you. Just remember, you can say anything to me, Chloe, anything, and I won't feel any differently about you."

Taking a moment to consider this, Chloe carefully weighed the pros and cons. Decision made, she spoke so quietly it was barely above a whisper. "I don't need a thank you, I'm just doing my job. He doesn't need to say anything. I just...I think I deserve better than to be playing chauffeur to take him to is ex-lover-again-lover's house."

"Oh, honey," Fauve sighed deeply. "For the record, that man is a bastard and insensitive jerk who doesn't deserve you. In fact," Chloe could guess at the unkind intent behind the voice, "can you give me a phone number."

"Fauve," Chloe said in exasperation.

There was an evil chuckle. "Coitus interuptus makes people bitchy, but I'm the queen of bitchy and right now I'd like to sink my bitchy teeth into one Jack Bauer."

Chloe had to give a watery smile at that one. "That's not what I called you for Fauve."

Sighing, Fauve agreed. "Right. Anyways. First and foremost, this isn't a manifestation of your condition. If anything, this is encouraging since it is a perfectly normal, even healthy, reaction to the situation. Second, sounds like your Jack suffers from a disorder known as co-dependency. The symptoms are there. Depression, the need to rescue people, controlling personality, intimacy issues, fear of abandonment, chronic anger, does more than his share all the time, these are all habits of co-dependent people. Frankly, he probably needs me more than you because what you said was true."

"He..." Chloe thought for a moment. "Why do I have the sudden urge that I need to defend him?"

Fauve laughed. "That's called friendship, Chloe. Most people don't take it well when others start bad-mouthing the people they care about."

Pursing her lips once more, Chloe said, "Oh, so I don't have this codependence...disorder...thing?"

"Perfectly normal," Fauve reassured her. "Normal, normal. Common normal even."

"That's good," Chloe sound dubious.

It was Fauve's turn to sound exasperated. "Point being, he's the one with problems, honey, not you. You're just collateral damage while he's going down in flames."

Considering Fauve's opinion, Chloe glanced around her spartan room. Her eyes settled on the blinking red numbers of the clock. It had been two in the morning when she'd initiate the call, now it was almost five. "I...I guess I'll think about it. But, I need to go to work today and I'd like to get at least some sleep." The "Humph" told her that Fauve didn't consider their conversation finished. "Good bye."

"'Morning, Chloe," Fauve grumbled. The words "We are so not finished with this..." were heard before Chloe hung up.

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Author's Note: Fauve is an OC, okay, but there will be no OC/Bauer (which I detest). 


	2. Firsts and Onlys

See chapter one.

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Fauve had been Chloe's roommate in college, which had been weird to say the least, and was everything Chloe was not. Where Chloe was reserved, Fauve laughed and stripped out of her shirt just for the shock value. Every guy in dorms wanted to sleep with her, the other girls envied her. Chloe just hunched her shoulders and pretended she was invisible.

The shift in their relationship came after Chloe caught one of her rare boyfriends in bed with another woman. She had run to Fauve and begged to what was wrong with her. The colorful Hawaiian had seized her hand and led her into the lobby where the jerk was trying to beg forgiveness. There, in front of God, several professors, and part of the student body, Fauve had slapped the boyfriend then turned around and kissed Chloe full on the mouth. Dazed, Chloe remembering standing in horrified embarrassment as the shorter woman had told him, "She's a better kisser than you are, and a damn sight better in bed. So why don't you take that pathetic dick of yours and go spread your legs for a real man, angel." With that said, she wrapped one tanned arm firmly around Chloe's mortified shoulders and guided her through the stunned crowd out the door. To quote Fauve, "That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship," and the strange, therapeutic relationship between the campus's most desirable girl and the total geek.

Unlike most people, Fauve didn't mind Chloe's lack of social grace, or just social skills in general. The jerky, uncoordinated body language and movements that Chloe sometimes struggled with never put her off either. Fauve had even adapted her way of speaking phraseology to make it easier for Chloe to understand her. It was the first time in her life that someone had ever changed to accommodate Chloe rather just working around her.

Startlingly enough, Fauve had even taken her biology major and become a psychiatrist who specialized in treating people with various forms of autism. She had been the one to finally diagnose the reasons for many of Chloe's eccentricities as Asperger syndrome while doing a psychology project during her undergrad. That was the reason, she said, that she'd gone that path. More than anything in the world she wanted to help Chloe be herself however she could.

The revelation had stunned Chloe, but the first defensive words out of her mouth had been a testy, "I'm not broken."

Laughing, Fauve had hugged her tightly. "No, you're actually the only person I know who doesn't really need fixing. But it's like...knowing that certain programs consistently have specific problems. The more you know about the program the more you can avoid the problems and the easier it is to troubleshoot when they pop up. What I'm doing is learning to troubleshoot people's programming, so when you have problems I can give you advice on how to deal with them."

Chloe meditated on the words. After some consideration she said, "So you want to help me troubleshoot people problems?"

"Without having to worry about being someone you're not," Fauve said. "You're too special to be forced to change just so some intimidated jerk can feel better." She was the first and only person to call Chloe special in a good way.

Fauve was a lot of onlys and firsts in Chloe's life, the first and only girl she had kissed (more of had been kissed by), the first and only person she shared cartons of ice cream with, the first and only friend she got smashed with, the first and only person to call her beautiful and mean it, the first and only person to listen without judging, the first and only person who loved Chloe for herself.

Chloe's smile had lit up her face like the sun breaking through stormy clouds. "No one's ever done that for me before."

Fauve squeezed her tighter, "You deserve it, Chloe." Another first and only.

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This chapter needs work, please feel free to go at it no holds barred.


	3. I'm Kidnapping You

Chloe knew trouble when she heard a cheerful voice declaring loudly, "I got all the clearance I need. You can check your records." There was only one person in the world that could break into the CTU in broad daylight with the security guards knowing she was there. Unfortunately, that person was Fauve.

After the early morning phone call, Chloe had caught a few hours of sleep before heading into work. Homeland Security had begun, what she considered, their hostile takeover complete with trying to refurbish the system Chloe designed. Somehow that coffee-drinking jerk had managed to crash the entire CTU server, totally prohibiting anything from getting done. On top of that, neither Jack nor Audrey had showed.

Fauve sauntered over to Chloe's station with a huge grin on her face as the red-shirted guards fluttered around her protesting the intrusion. They were about as effective as the psychotic cardinals they resembled in stopping Fauve's progress. "Heya, Chloe," she said cheerfully. "I'm here to abduct you."

Hunching over, Chloe pursed her lips together and stared straight ahead at her computer screen. The cold shoulder had never worked in the past, and didn't seem to be working now. With a condescending shake of her head, Fauve perched on the edge of the desk next to Chloe. "You know, you should probably be screaming for help."

The flat look Chloe gave her friend spoke volumes. "When I need help, I'll let you know."

Fauve grinned. "That's where you're wrong, honey." The computer screen went black. Chloe jerked over and stared at Fauve, knowing that the other woman was somehow responsible. With an innocent grin, Fauve continued, "You need a vacation. And since that bitch with a corncob up her ass that's in charge won't give you one, I'm kidnapping you." She patted Chloe's shoulder. "We're going to my mom's."

The few sputtered protests that Chloe managed to get out were ignored as Fauve stuffed the laptop and a few other items into a bag. Snatching Chloe's coat from where it rested on the back of the chair, she slung the duffel over her shoulder and shoved the coat into the protesting woman's hands. "You're not going to win," she told Chloe as she hauled the other woman to her feet and began to herd her reluctant victim through the mass of security guards that had some how coagulated without actually stopping the Hawaiian's impromptu felony. "So you might as well smile."

The other various IT people and support staff stared in confusion and amusement. It wasn't everyday a hippie with multi-colored hair came to drag away your senior IT person.

"Chloe," Bill Buchanan's voice reached the programmer's ears like a message from God. Chloe tried to stop or to pull away from the arm Fauve had wrapped around her waist.

Dark eyes glanced up into hers. "Don't stop," Fauve order with an evil smile. "Keep thinking about the beach and ocean and Mom's cooking." When those words had no effect on her friend Fauve changed tactics. "Think about it as a few weeks away from all your co-workers, specifically one Jack Bauer."

At that the half-hearted struggles ended. Hesitantly Chloe met Fauve's gaze. A slow, wicked smile began to spread over her lips as the two friends communicated without words. She had been fielding everyone else's shit since the nerve gas thing. In the last couple of days she'd been yelled at, sworn at, threatened by, practically assaulted by, and totally ignored arbitrarily. She deserved a vacation, and those Homeland idiots could clean up their own mess. One of Chloe's arms slid around Fauve's waist. "We need to drop by my apartment so I can pack."

"Already, done," Fauve reassured her. "Our flight leaves in a half-hour."

A pleasant thought, "Good," Chloe muttered in satisfaction. To paraphrase something Fauve had told her once, she was so outta here they wouldn't hear the sonic boom.


	4. You're Him

Author's Note: To be on the safe side, I repeat I don't own Jack, Chloe, DoD girl, or anything else 24. Fauve is mine ( and Jass's). Jass (aka graywords-girl) is my wonderful co-author who wrote themajority of this chapter.

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Bright LA sunshine splashed through the windows of the CTU lobby. Bill Buchanan, face flushed in annoyance, doggedly pursued his senior IT tech. "Chloe," he bellowed, "Hey, you let her go! Chloe, what the hell is going on?" His roared demands only made his face redder.

Fauve still had a tight, unnecessary grip on Chloe's waist, as though concerned her friend might back out at anytime-not that she would let her. She ignored Chloe's irrate supervisor in favor of talking to Chloe about how best to get to the airport. "Well, Tijera is always congested this time of day, so I'm thinking west on 96." A bland nod of agreement was the only response she got.

Chloe, while ultimately pleased with her decision, was having doubts. Things never went this smoothly; there was no way Buchanan, or that idiot Homeland supervisor for that matter, would let her just walk out the door without an explanation, despite Fauve. In fact, Chloe was pretty certain that by the time she and Fauve returned, she would be out of a job.

"Chloe!" she winced when Fauve yanked her forward, and then glanced over her shoulder at the fast approaching form of one Bill Buchanan.

"Keep walking." Fauve commanded. Chloe resisted.

"Fauve, if I want to keep my job, I really should at least talk to him-" she broke off when they both crashed into something, landing hard on the tile. She looked up, and nearly groaned when she came face to face with Jack Bauer. Audrey, of course, was plastered onto his arm.

"Chloe?" he questioned. Buchanan had caught up with them. Jack gave his crimson faced boss an odd look. Shaking his head he looked at Fauve, who had hung onto Chloe's hand despite being knocked onto her rump by the significantly larger man. "Chloe, what's going on?" he demanded. Chloe gave him a blank stare.

Buchanan glanced up and nodded at the 'happy couple', "Hi Jack. Audrey."

Inwardly, Chloe winced. 'No, please Mr. Buchanan, don't...' she thought.

Fauve practically levitated to her feet. "YOU!" she snarled, earning a confused look from Jack and a startled look from Audrey. "You!" Fauve's eyes narrowed dangerously. "So you're him," she purred. It was never a good sign when the Hawaiian's voice went deep and silky. That tone usually meant a great deal of suffering for whoever was unfortunate enough to have it directed at them. And Chloe did not like the devious gleam in the dark eyes fixed on Jack.

"Oh no..." Chloe muttered, standing up and brushing herself off. Fauve was nearly nose to nose with Jack now, circling him like a shark about to go in for the kill. Audrey appeared unnerved by Fauve's actions and was holding into Jack's arm so tightly, Chloe was surprised there was no blood. Desperate for an ally or even just a distraction, she glanced around. Nothing stood out as a wise route to take, especially with Fauve plotting Jack's downfall. Okay, Plan C.

"We've got to go," Chloe told Jack, "our plane leaves in twenty minutes." Neither Chloe nor Fauve were very large women. Both were considered petite, however, Fauve was even smaller and lighter than Chloe. People, including Fauve herself, tended to forget that. Using it to her advantage, Chloe wrapped both arms around Fauve's midriff and proceeded to drag her away from Jack before things escalated.


	5. Murder is Illegal

Author's Note: Don't own 24. This chapter is Jass's, I just edited.

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"Come on, Fauve." Chloe nearly hissed. The Hawaiian was still thrashing about, trying to escape Chloe's grip and get back to the small group of Chloe's fellow workers.

"Nuh ah, I wanna talk to him." She pulled harder, causing them both to momentarily lose their balance.

"Knowing you, you'll kill him first." Was the petite analyst's retort, and Fauve paused for a minute, thinking about it, before nodding her head and stating, "Yup." Chloe groaned.

"Come on, we're going to miss our plane."

"So? I think it'd be worth it."

Buchanan, Audrey, and Jack were watching the whole episode from a safe distance of several feet away. Audrey snapped out of her shock first, and then turned away and muttered, loud enough that only Jack could hear, "I always knew there was something wrong with her." Jack glared at her.

Buchanan sighed and began to follow them, determined on figuring out what the hell was happening, when Jack stopped him.

"Bill, I'll go." He pried his arm away from Audrey, who seemed somewhat insulted.

"But Jack," she whined, crossing her arms. "We have work."

"It'll only take a minute," he assured, and then hurried after the two short women who had already left the building, one of which was still fighting like mad to get free. It wasn't hard to follow them, either: the young woman that Chloe was dragging was making enough fuss that half of LA could hear them.

"But Chloe!" The woman whined, to no avail. She was still being dragged by the blonde. Chloe had released her midriff, however, and was now simply pulling her by the arm. "I want my pound of flesh. You can have him back after I'm finished." It didn't take Jack long to figure out who 'Him' was.

Chloe grunted. "Murder is illegal," she snapped. The other woman huffed, and Chloe stopped. "Come on, Fauve. The whole point in your little kidnapping was to get me AWAY from Jack, right?" Fauve muttered a dark affirmative. "Therefore keeping me around him would defeat the purpose of this vacation."


	6. You Want Me to Kiss You Again?

Author's Note: Don't own 24. This one also belongs to Jess. Thanks!

* * *

By the time Jack finally did catch up to Chloe and her friend, they were just about to climb into Fauve's car. Fauve was still complaining, loudly, but wasn't trying to escape any long. Chloe was simply nodding her head, completely ignoring Fauve's tirade.

Just as she was about to step inside the car, Fauve caught sight of Jack, and the look in her eye was nothing if not predatorial. Chloe barely had time to figure out what had happened before her friend pounced, storming over to Jack, already shouting loud obscenities.

"You! The nerve of you, following us!" Chloe hurried over, listening as Fauve shrieked, shouted, and generally made a spectacular scene. "How dare you! You son-of-a-"

"Fauve." Chloe called, trying to step in. Things were going to get ugly, fast, if she didn't.

"-self-centered, egotistical-" Fauve was ignoring her.

"Fauve!"

"-conceited, cynical-"

"FAUVE!"

"WHAT!"

Chloe took a glance at her watch. "We're going to miss our flight." Fauve, ever the drama queen, threw her hands into the air and stormed over to Chloe.

"Chloe, honey." Fauve stated, sweetly, and Chloe took an involuntary step back. She caught sight of Jack over Fauve's shoulder, who was giving them both strange looks. Fauve got in her line of vision, took a deep breath, and then shouted, "Forget the stupid flight! This is WAY too good an opportunity to pass up!"

And then she spun on her heel and went back to shouting at Jack. Chloe smacked her forehead and ran her hand down her face, exhaustion setting in. So far, however, Fauve had to yet to get physical, which was good. But, still, Chloe was actually kind of looking forward to her 'vacation'. And she really did want to leave.

"Fauve, come on. Leave him alone. We gotta go." She grabbed her friend by the arm. Fauve turned to face her.

"Not this time, Chloe." she stated. "Why are you trying so hard to keep me from ripping him a new one? He's not good enough for you! The idiot needs to get his head out of his ass long enough to figure out that either you two are perfect for each other, or you're not. I'm sick of him playing with you like you're some sort pet." Fauve either didn't notice, or didn't care that she was embarrassing Chloe, who was now red enough to make a tomato jealous, to no end at this point. A dangerously wicked look passed over her face suddenly as an idea formed. "We need to show him."

Chloe looked at her as though she'd grown a second head. "You're not going to kiss me again, are you?" She ignored Jack's startled look of confusion. Fauve shook her head.

"No. Not unless you want me to, that is."

The look on Chloe's face was one of pure horror. The look only grew as Fauve grabbed both her and Jack by the arm and dragged them towards the car.


	7. Thoughts of a Luggage Mule

Author's Note: Don't own 24. Jass is the greatest, she's been with me through this whole damn thing, and Fauve belongs as much to her as she does to me. Note: This is a J/C shipper story!

* * *

Jack didn't remember exactly when he'd lost control of the situation. Probably, it was somewhere between World Way Road and the C Terminal. For the life of him, he couldn't tell anyone how he ended up playing baggage mule for Chloe and her crazy friend. He'd been swept away by the force of nature the smaller of the women seemed exert. He was just glad she let him grab his emergency duffle. 

The women's conversation had been muted some by the presence of others and the bruising grip Chloe had on Fauve's arm. By sheer determination, Chloe had gotten her friend to lay off Jack on the ride to the airport. In the interest of Chloe's continued compliance, Fauve had put her rant on the backburner to simmer. She'd been pointedly ignoring Jack, actually, only telling him he'd be carrying the bags.

"How are you going to get him a ticket," Chloe hissed. "You can't just walk up to the counter and ask for one."

Smirking Fauve patted Chloe's arm. "Of course I can, honey." The continued use of the endearment made Chloe wary. Just what was up Fauve's sleeve this time?

The blonde didn't have a chance to demand answers as Fauve laid on the charm with the woman at the ticket counter. "Oh, please. I know it's a lot to ask, but my mother hasn't seen Jack since we were little. She's getting older you know..." Chloe had to roll her eyes at the cheesy sob-story Fauve was feeding the clerk. It seemed to be working though. With her rambunctious protector distracted, Chloe finally had a chance to look at Jack without Fauve's commentary.

The field agent looked dazed, as if he'd been drugged or hit over the head with something. 'He has,' a vindictive little part of her mind told her with joyful malice, 'verbally at least.' Can imaginary voices sound disappointed, or more importantly, why did it sound like Fauve?

Chloe knew her friend's approach to things usually involved applying the liberal application of overwhelming force and moving so quickly there was no time to think until it was done and over. She had never been as susceptible as others to Fauve's often heavy-handed tactics. Jack, it seemed, had no such immunity. For a moment, she considered doing the sane thing. If this was called off now, she might be able to keep her job. Explaining why Jack got dragged out would be hard, but possible. All she had to do was put her foot down and everything would go back to normal...Complete with Audrey on Jack's arm.

It was that thought that kept Chloe silent as Fauve, now with three tickets, led the way towards the gate at a run. Even laden down with luggage as he was, Jack was able to keep pace with the two as they sprinted to make their flight.


	8. We're Moving!

Author's Note: Credit for this chapter goes to Jass. I'm going to stop writing a disclaimer now. If you haven't gotten that I don't own 24, there's no hope for you.

* * *

The plane was nearly ready to take off by the time that Chloe, Jack, and Fauve managed to put their luggage away and found their seats. Fauve and Chloe were sitting side by side, Fauve happily chatting away about how exciting it would be to see her mother again, and how much the woman had missed Chloe.

Jack was sitting across the isle, next to a young, fidgeting business man. He was trying to keep up with the conversation the two women were having.

"Chloe, do you remember Mom's cookies? Oh god, they were heaven, right?"

"When she didn't burn them."

"Nuh uh. The burned ones were mine."

"You never could cook."

Fauve gave a healthy laugh at that, and Chloe chuckled along with her. Jack cleared his throat, catching their attention. "Before we go any further, exactly where are we flying?"

Fauve grinned and leaned over in her seat to look at Jack while Chloe bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Hawaii!"

And then they went back to their conversation, ignoring him completely. Chloe turned to Fauve and asked, "So, exactly what did Karmen do to earn your hatred?"

"Huh?" Fauve did a very good imitation of Chloe's blank look.

"Yesterday, when you answered the phone? 'This is Fauve, if you're Karmen Isaac, fuck you.'" She quoted, and Fauve thought about it, before breaking into low, dangerous laughter, earning a few strange looks. Chloe smiled sweetly at an older woman who was staring and said simply, "She forgot to take her medication," motioning at Fauve.

Fauve's smile was bitter as she said, "Honey, it was two in the morning when you called. Who else calls me that early?"

Chloe pulled a face. "I can think of at least eight people off the top of my head. What makes Karmen such a…um...likely suspect?"

Fauve ignored the question, instead opting to stare out the window and bounce around like a five-year-old. "We're moving! We're moving!"

Chloe sighed, knowing she had lost her friend, and wouldn't get her back until they had take off and the safety belt light had gone off. She turned to Jack and gave a some what apologetic smile, though in actuality, she wasn't sorry in the least. Every minute he was with her was another minute Audrey was out of the picture, and as bad as that sounded, it was a very appealing thought. "Sorry about this."

He nodded, still confused. "Where did you meet her? She doesn't exactly seem like..."

"Someone I'd have as a friend?" Chloe offered, and shook her head. "Ordinarily I'd agree, but Fauve is special." A squeal of delight sounded behind her, causing Chloe to cringe and add, "In more than one way." Fauve was still squealing, and Chloe twisted around in her seat and smacked her on the shoulder. "Knock it off, 'honey'." she mocked.

Fauve stuck her tongue out, before smiling at Jack. "Better get comfortable. This is going to be a long flight."


	9. Relationship Counselling

Author's Note: I started this, Jass ran with it.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Jack said incredulously, "This is your version of relationship counseling." He looked over at Chloe who was red, again, and glaring slow and painful death at Fauve.

"Yup." Fauve sipped her orange juice. Jack looked at his and suddenly wished it was something stronger, much stronger. In fact, that tequila, which he'd stashed behind the oatmeal to hide it from Kim when she came over because of a guilt trip, wouldn't go amiss right now. "You two obviously have communication issues, and you...well, you just have issues."

Stiffly, Chloe told Fauve, "We communicate just fine, thank you. It's part of our job."

"Oh, really," Fauve sounded smug. Per personal protocol, Chloe began to worry. What did she have this time? "Jack," Fauve asked sweetly, "when was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with Chloe outside of work?"

The question blindsided the man. He couldn't meet either woman's eyes and kept looking at the juice, willing it to become a screwdriver. Chloe's clipped answer, "The night before I called you," covered his silence.

Rolling her eyes, Fauve snapped, "That question was directed at Jack. Well?"

Jack honestly couldn't remember having a real conversation with Chloe.

He remembered, well didn't remember, the number of calls he'd made to the analyst, usually at some ungodly hour during the night or morning following one of those days. The calls themselves consisted on him alternating talking, ranting, and pleading with God or whatever other power that was. All Chloe really did was hmm and yes in the right places and make soothing noises when he got really upset. Rarely did she comment, and only then to provide reassurance to him. And she never talked about herself. He wasn't going to mention that to Fauve, but then again, there wasn't much else he could say. It turned out he wouldn't have to.

"Fauve, knock it off, will you?" Chloe snapped. "Just because you're a licensed psychiatrist doesn't mean you can shrink us." She made a quick motion between her and Jack, and Fauve snorted.

"Honey, I can't think of two people who need to be 'shrinked' more than you." Fauve copied Chloe's motion. "Your relationship is the screwiest thing I have EVER-"

"We don't have a 'relationship'!" Chloe barked, and Jackjumped. "Seriously, Fauve. Cut it out."

Fauve turned in her seat and whispered something to Chloe, who responded in the like. They went back and forth several times, but Jack couldn't hear a word of it. He did, however, see the pleading look Chloe gave her friend, and watched as Fauve rubbed her back slowly. A few minutes passed, and Fauve turned back to Jack.

"You see?" she stated. "You two really do have issues."

"Seems to me like it's you two are the ones with issues." Jack pointed out, glancing at the crazy shrink and petite analyst.

Chloe gave an incredulous snort and remarked, sarcastically, "Us? Issues? Never."

Fauve elbowed her into silence. "Never mind that. The point is, you two never really talk." Chloe opened her mouth to protest, and Fauve glared. "Let me attempt to rephrase that: He talks, you listen." Chloe's mouth snapped shut, and Fauve gave a satisfied nod. Jack wondered exactly how much Chloe had told this nutcase.

"So, the whole point of the next..." Fauve glanced at her watch. "Five hours, is to get you two to learn to talk and, hopefully, work past your issues."

She gave a nod, took a sip of her orange juice, and leaned back in her chair. "Start talking."


	10. A Frying Pan Would Be Nice

Author's Note: Jass wrote the first half, I just finished it off.

* * *

Five minutes passed, and no one spoke. Fauve seemed content to sit there and flip through an old magazine waiting for one of them to break the idea, but neither did. Chloe was alternating between checking her watch and trying to doze, but every time she got close to falling asleep, Fauve would pinch her and earn a smack on the shoulder. Jack was watching the two friends, trying to find someway to get out of this.

Twenty minutes later, with no change, Fauve tossed her magazine into Chloe's lap and stood, announcing, "I'm going to the bathroom," before disappearing down the isle. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Chloe leaned over to Jack.

"Okay, I say we hit her over the head with a frying pan and run."

He gave her an amused look. "Chloe, there are two problems with that."

"What?"

"One: We're in an airplane. Where would we run?" she gave him a sour look. "Two: I don't know about you, but I left my frying pan at home."

Chloe crossed her arms and shook her head. "She drives me insane sometimes."

Jack nodded his head, before casting a glance back down the isle to make sure the petite Hawaiian was still occupied. "She... might have a point, though." Chloe sent him a somewhat startled look.

"What?"

"She's right." he sighed, softly, and watched Chloe go from irritated to uncomfortable. "We never really talk."

Chloe thought about it-seriously thought about it- for just a moment, before shaking her head. "No, you're wrong." She was wringing her hands, fidgeting slightly. He wanted to interject, but the crazy shrink had opened his eyes: he and Chloe did have some issues they needed to work through. She had something to say, and he was going to let her say it.

She forced her hands to stop moving and gave him a soft look. "Fauve needs to understand that sometimes words don't mean much. Actions are more powerful..." she paused, collected her thoughts, and then continued, "The relationship that we have-" again, the motion between herself and him, "-doesn't need to be talked about."

He reached across the isle, then, and grabbed her hand, briefly, and she gave him a small smile.

"Well," a cheerful voice announced from behind them, and instantly they pulled apart. "This is at least a start." Fauve plopped down in her seat and gave them a nod. "A very good start." Jack found himself mimicking Chloe's glare. "Has anyone ever told you you're incorrigible?"

Chloe snorted, "Only every time she sticks her nose in my life," she told Jack. "Which is pretty frequently."

Unfazed by the pointed accusation, Fauve picked up the magazine again. "And it usually turns out pretty well," she calmly informed Chloe.

Chloe and Jack looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Move over," Jack gruffly ordered Fauve. The guy he was sitting next to was shaking the whole damn seat and it was starting to annoy him. It had nothing to do with the fact he wanted to be closer to Chloe.


	11. She's Sadistic That Way

Author's Note: This is a J/C shipper piece! That means J/C fluff for all of you out there with weak stomachs. If you don't like it, don't read it! Jass wrote the first part, I can take credit for getting Chloe in Jack's lap.

* * *

Half an hour later, Jack realized that this trip might not be as doomed as he'd originally pegged it for. Fauve had struck up conversation with the fidgeting business man (who wasn't fidgeting so much anymore) and was chatting away happily, and completely ignoring Chloe and him.

Speaking of which... Chloe had dozed off ten minutes ago, and without Fauve there to wake her up, she had fallen into a light doze. The fact that she was using his shoulder as a pillow didn't bother him much, either.

He was considering joining her, actually. He didn't sleep much in the presence of others, but for once, as far as he knew, no one was out for his blood, and there were enough people on the plane to make an attempt on his life difficult. And the idea of catching a few winks wasn't at all unappealing...

"She always does this," he glanced over. Fauve was smiling at him, though it looked more like she was looking through him rather than at him. Fauve motioned to Chloe. "Every time we fly somewhere, she dozes off. I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier."

"That's because you kept on waking her up." Jack retorted, shifting a bit. Fauve rolled her eyes.

"If I didn't, then you two wouldn't have learned anything."

"And exactly what, pray tell, did we learn?"

"If you two feel the need to talk," Chloe's tired voice surprised them both as she sat up and blinked. "Then I'll move."

"Don't bother, honey," Fauve patted her arm. "Although, if you could move over a little, I'm feeling kind of squashed."

Not truly awake, Chloe mumbled and shifted closer to Jack. When Fauve continued to nudge her over, she growled and practically crawled into Jack's lap. It was clumsy, ungraceful, and full of swinging limbs. To avoid getting another elbow in the ribs Jack assisted the woman. When Chloe was firmly ensconced in his lap, curled into a ball, he settled back with his arms around her and relaxed. A testament to just how well she knew him, his right arm was free and had easy access to his weapon.

There was a happy sigh from Fauve as she looked at her best friend. Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes again and hissed, "Stop looking like the cat that got the damn cream."

"Canary," Chloe's voice was muffled by Jack's shoulder. "Cream would be too easy. Fauve likes playing with her food. She's sadistic that way."

Fauve mumbled something along the lines of, "Look who's talking..." Chloe ignored her and buried her face in the side of Jack's neck. Absent mindedly, Jack pressed his lips to the top of her head. When that got him a happy murmur, he repeated the action on her temple. Stretching his legs out in the little room he had in front of him, he relaxed and joined Chloe in a nap.


	12. Enter the Real World

Author's Note: Okay, last time I repeat myself. J/C shipper piece, got problem with it, go away. Thanks to Jass for finishing this chapter.

* * *

A hard kick to the shin woke Jack. Yelping "Hey," he turned to face his attacker who gave him her most innocent smile. "What was that for?" he demanded.

Fauve pointed to the stewardess who was holding some sort of phone. "Are you Agent Bauer," she asked politely.

Covering a yawn, Jack nodded. He shifted the woman still sleeping in his lap to return circulation to his right leg before saying, "How can I help you?"

"A Mr. Buchanan from the CTU is on the line for you," the stewardess handed him the phone with a smile. "Have a nice day, sir."

A long stare was leveled at the phone. It didn't take a genius to figure how Bill had tracked him down. Why had he brought his gun with him? The paperwork and security check would have put him on CTU radar. And now his very pissed off boss was on the phone, most likely to yell at him. Helplessly he looked over at Fauve.

"Give it to me," she mouthed at him. Desperate, and not wanting to wake Chloe, he nodded and handed her the phone. She put it to her ear as she stood up and began walking towards the back of the plane for some privacy. Jack settled back down to finish his nap, wondering if Bill was going to shoot on sight next time they met.

Next time he woke, it was to Fauve sauntering down the isle and back into her seat, the phone still in hand. Nearly shoving it in his face, careful to miss Chloe's head, she gave him a sly, pleased smile. "It's for you,"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he took the phone and pressed it to his ear, muttering a gruff, "Bauer," in greeting.

To his great surprise, Buchanan did not shout at him, nor did he even show any sign in his voice that he was upset in anyway. In fact, he sounded somewhat amused, and simply stated, "Jack, the next time you decide to take an unexpected vacation, give me at least a day's notice, please."

"Excuse me?"

"Relax. Miss Akana explained the situation. Things are under control here for the moment; enjoy your trip." He paused, listening to someone else in the background, before adding, "And, if I could make a suggestion: I'd call Audrey if I were you. She's... not exactly happy with the recent turn of events."

Jack knew that was probably the understatement of the century. Buchanan's end of the line went dead, and Jack gave Fauve back the phone, paused, and then turned to grinning woman. "What did you say to him?"


	13. Little, But Damn Scary

Author's Note: To give credit where it's due, Jass wrote the fuzzy part. I can't do fuzzy, but she keeps my story chugging along anyways.

* * *

With a mysterious smile, Fauve patted Jack on the shoulder. "That's between me, Bill, and the powers that be. You on the other hand, have a more immediate problem."

Jack winced, then groaned. "What am I going to tell Audrey?"

Not the least bit sympathetic Fauve leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever you say, it better be good." Her voice was deceptively calm. "So far I've been playing nice because I don't want to upset Chloe. But this is your last chance, buddy, and a chance you don't deserve." The ominous Cheshire smile spread across her face once more. When she continued, her voice was so low Jack had to lean forward to hear her. "Fuck this up and I will take Chloe away from you forever. And when she's off somewhere she is appreciated and loved, I will make your life living Hell." The smiled widened when Jack gave her a skeptical look. "By the time I finished, you'll be strapped into a strait jacket in a padded room being treated by men in white coats. To top it off, I'll make sure I'm your shrink."

There were very few things that truly terrified Jack Bauer to the point of dysfunction. This tiny, brown woman was rapidly nearing the top of that list. He swallowed nervously and turned his gaze on the sleeping Chloe. Unconsciously, he moved her closer to him. The real question was whether or not he needed the extra coercion.

From her passively aggressive position, Fauve had to work to conceal her pleasure at the man's response. When he looked at her friend, his eyes and movements gentled. Previously, she'd noticed he had a tone of voice reserved specifically for the analyst, one much softer than his usual hoarse commands. All she had to do was keep him from second-guessing himself. Once Chloe was his, he wouldn't let go if he had to go through all seven levels of Hell to get her back. That was sort of man he was. And if that valium she'd slipped into his orange juice would kick in...

Jack had dozed off again. This was probably the most he had slept, consistently, in quite a while, and he seemed determined to get as much out of the precious time he had as he could. Fauve waited until he'd fallen to the point where he wouldn't wake up at the smallest of noises, and then smirked.

Reaching over, she gave a small tug on one of Chloe's blonde strands. The petite woman didn't respond, but Fauve did note that her finger twitched. The Hawaiian grinned impishly.

"Come on, Chloe." she teased, softly. "I know you're faking it."

Dropping her charade, the analyst's eyes peeked open and met her friend's gaze. They shared a brief look, before Fauve asked, "How long've you been awake?"

"Long enough to hear you threaten Jack with your psychiatric care." She paused, and then added thoughtfully, "God forbid."

Fauve made a face. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

They shared a smile, before Chloe gave a small noise of content in the back of her throat and Fauve smirked, "Aw, you look so cozy!" Chloe smacked her, as best she could based on her position, still curled up on top of Jack. Not that she was complaining. It felt nice; safe and comfortable. She hadn't felt this secure in a long time. Hell, she couldn't remember a time when she had felt so secure. A part of her worried about that: the rational part of her that said, loudly, that when all this was over things would go back to the way they were before, and she would have to forget the feeling of safety; force herself to go back to her less-than-satisfactory life, watching in envy as Audrey and Jack went on with their almost-perfect life.

But, there was a part of her that spoke softly, almost masked by the screaming logical side, but obviously there. A small part that told her that Fauve would make things better, like she always did, and that maybe- just maybe- she'd be able to fit herself snuggly into Jack's life. (Right in-between the space marked 'Saving the country' and the place reserved for 'Fighting one's inner demons', so long as she could push Audrey out of there first. Or maybe she'd find a nice, open space she could fill up all on her own, without having to push her way into it. That would be nice.)


	14. You're Possessive, You Know

Author's Note: The lovely Jass can claim credit for this whole chapter. I promise, we'll get them to Hawaii eventually.

* * *

"Jack," Chloe whispered, softly. While she was seriously enjoying her current position, it was about to create a few problems. First of all, her legs had fallen asleep a few minutes ago. Second, the plane was going to start it's approaching descent soon, which meant she would need to be in her seat, with her seat belt on. "Jack."

He gave a small grunt, but didn't respond, instead pulling her a bit closer and tightening his grip, which already vice-like. Chloe repeated his name, louder this time, and he nodded his head, shifting her so she was effectively squished between him and the window, and then unconsciously planted a soft kiss on her temple. . Fauve was trying her hardest not to break into a fit of hysterical giggles, and was turning red from effort. Chloe made a valiant attempt to smack her. "Shut up, you. This is YOUR fault."

Fauve only nodded her head in agreement, and continued to laugh silently. Tears were running down her cheeks, and a few people had turned to stare at her. Chloe grumbled, muttering something about smothering her friend with a pillow, and decided a new tactic was in order.

"Jack!" she whispered, urgently, "There's a bomb on the plane!"

That did it. He jolted awake, and while he was momentarily disoriented, Chloe slipped out his grip and into her seat, snapping her seat belt on efficiently, before patting his arm and shooting Fauve a dirty look. The woman was still giggling like mad. Jack turned to look at Chloe in confusion, and she was about to give an excuse, when Fauve declared, helpfully, "Did you know you're pretty damn possessive when you sleep?"

And then she broke into laughter once more as both Chloe and Jack turned an interesting shade of red. The people around them that had heard laughed quietly.

Through gritted teeth, Chloe hissed, "Someday, somehow, I will make you pay for this, Fauve Palani Akana." Her friend didn't seem the least bit worried by the vow of vengeance.


	15. That Hurt

Author's Note: Sorry for the huge gap in updates, but I have to work during the weekdays. This chapter is for Jass.Get better mei mei!

* * *

"Left," Fauve seized Chloe's hand and the front of Jack's shirt. Bulling through the crowd like she'd been doing it all her live, the Hawaiian led them through the chaos masquerading as Kona International Airport. Once again, Jack had been saddled with all the baggage. Which was why his shirt was now being used as a leash. "I called TC before we took off. He's prepping the plane as we speak. Now, we'll need a taxi...Keep up, Jack." Her eyes flickered with annoyance as she gave a hard yank on the shirt. 

Jack stumbled, pulled of balance by the weight that had attached herself to his front. A hand reached out and steadied him. He looked over to see Chloe's bemused smile. "She tends to get a little excited," the blonde explained. "Hang on." Chloe planted both feet at dead halt, clamping one hand onto Jack's shoulder. Fauve hit the end of the extension of Chloe's arm and popped back like she was attached to a rubber band.

The recoil threw Fauve backwards, into her conscripted luggage mule. In a clatter of limbs and bags, Jack and the smaller woman went down. With an amused smirk on her face, Chloe crossed her arms and watched as Fauve cussed a blue streak in her native tongue at a resigned looking Jack.

"I told you to hold on," she smirked. The look that came over Fauve's face could only be described as a pout. Kicking the strap of one of the duffels off her legs, the tan woman mirrored Chloe's position of arms across the chest.

"That's cheating." Fauve's lower lip was jutted out.

A groan came from underneath the pile of woman and baggage. "Could you please move. I can't feel my arm."

* * *

Sorry about the delay. and I have been having issues.


	16. It Goes Both Ways

A/N: I know I'm late. Gibbs-smacks self My laptop puked and I lost the file and had to perform some mystical techie mumbo-jumbo (undera buddy's supervision)to get it back. Without further ado...

* * *

Chloe wasn't showing pity for either of her friends. All Jack's limp got him was a pat on the back, and Fauve's shiner got a laugh. The two of them had started sulking, together. But Jack was still loaded down with luggage, so it seemed that Fauve hadn't totally forgiven him yet. Still, sulking together was a big improvement over threats of psychological damage.

Clearing his throat, Jack eyed Fauve carefully before asking Chloe, "How are we going to get to this private airstrip she," glare in Fauve's general direction, "was talking about."

Chloe reached over and shouldered her own duffel to lighten Jack's load. "Benny will probably pick us up. Though," she added thoughtfully, "it could be hard to get all three of us into the cab of his pick-up."

"That's why you two are sitting in the back with the luggage." Fauve had given up on getting any sympathy from her friend and had reverted to her normal self. "There's no way I'm sitting on your lap too. I leave that honor to Chloe."

Chloe blushed and Jack winced, muttering, "I'm sure I don't want you on my lap. God only knows what you might try to do."

The tips of Chloe's ears went red and her eyes widened significantly at his comment. She cut off Fauve's speculative look growling, "Don't even think about it." Then she turned to Jack, "Don't ever say anything that near her ever again. You don't want to know how she'll run with it. I don't want to know how she'll run with it."

Rolling her eyes, Fauve sighed dramatically. "You always ruin my fun, Chloe. Just let me play with him for a little bit."

The familiar surly look took up its residence on the blonde's face once more. "No," Chloe said slowly, enunciating, "mine. Don't touch."

Jack stopped in mid-step and struggled to look at Chloe over his load, a wide-eyed expression crossing his face. Neither woman stopped walking, and Fauve glanced at him from over her shoulder, before rolling her good eye.

"Well? Hurry up!" And then she went back to teasing Chloe about her red face.


	17. Meet the Competition

A/N: Thank my wonderful mei-mei, Jass, for the extended chapter. I cheated and added on the next chapter, which she wrote, so the last half or so is hers.

* * *

Benny turned out to be an elderly man in a rattling pick-up that looked like it should be in a museum. A shirtless young man, with a six-pack like Jack hadn't had since he'd hit thirty, sat in the passenger seat. On seeing the two women, the younger man's face lit up with a grin that displayed a set of perfect, white teeth. The bitterness of possessive jealousy settled unpleasantly on Jack's tongue.

"Chloe! Fauve!" The pick-up came to a creaking halt and the smiling man hopped out. Rushing over, he embraced the two friends. "Chlo...Fi, why did you wait so long?"

Jack had to bite his lip to keep from commenting as Chloe hugged back with a warm smile. "Unlike some people, Tripp, I have to work."

Laughing, Fauve added, "And she's got a new computer."

Tripp's lower lip jutted out endearingly as he pouted, his puppy-eyes focused on the blonde. "If you wanted something new to play with why didn't you just call? I'll be your boy-toy anytime."

Flushing, Chloe gave him another hug. "Thanks, Tripp. But..."

"She's not in the market right now," Fauve interrupted cheerfully. "However..." Interest gleamed in her dark eyes.

Eyes wide, Tripp shook his head. "Sorry, Fauve, but you're really not my type."

Jack stood to the side, seething silently in jealousy. Chloe had her hands on a half-naked man. That wasn't really the issue though. The issue was the half-naked guy who she was touching wasn't him. And that was really pissing him off.

If looks could kill, Mr. Tripp 'I-like-showing-off-my-abs' would be a little pile of ash and Chloe would be next to Jack where she belonged. Fauve smirked pointedly at him. It would take a dumber man than Jack Bauer to misunderstand the message. 'Here's what she could have, you jerk. Here's what you've got to convince me you're better than.'

Benny, the older man, seemed to have more manners than Tripp. The first thing he did, after greeting the two young women, was move to help Jack with the luggage. Thankful for the extra pair of hands, the two piled the bags into the back of the pick-up. Once done, he was free to observe the small group of three that stood several feet away.

Chloe and Fauve were chattering with Tripp excitedly, and a few times a chorus of laughter would float out. They'd obviously been friends for quite sometime.

Benny was watching them all with an almost nostalgic smile. After a few minutes, he called them over. "Time to get out of here."

The chatter stopped, but the giggles and smiles did not. Tripp casually threw an arm over both girls' shoulders and led them towards the pick-up. Both Chloe and Fauve didn't seem fazed in the least. Though Jack felt a muscle in his jaw tighten.

Fauve broke away and pointed a finger at Jack. "Okay, you-" and then the finger moved to Chloe, "-and you. You're in the back."

Chloe gave something like a whine and looked over at Fauve with a semi-glare, who gave an innocent smile. "Chloe, honey-" Chloe winced, "-There is no way in hell I'm sitting in the back of this pick-up, with your boyfriend, surrounded by luggage. No way." Fauve paused, before adding, "Besides, you like the heat more than me, remember?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "If I remember correctly, Benny's AC never worked in the first place. It'll be hotter inside than in the back." But she slipped away from Tripp and climbed into the back anyway.

Tripp and Fauve slipped inside, Fauve in the tiny space behind the front seats, and Jack paused briefly before joining Chloe. The window was open, and both of them had a clear view inside. Fauve reached down, pulled out a soda, and tossed it to Chloe.

Tripp turned on the radio as they began to move, and selected a country station, earning four simultaneous groans.


	18. Flashback

A/N: I wrote Jack's POV, my mei-mei Jass wrote Fauve's. I salute her for giving me a great deal of insight to Fauve's character. For some reason I seem to need to repeat myself. If you flame, I will send you a politely worded message requesting you never do it again. If you continue, I will take whatever steps I can to make life miserable for you.

* * *

Cool wind ruffled Jack's short hair as the truck rumbled down the highway with other cars swooshing past. He tipped his head back and enjoyed the sensation of warm sunshine on his stubble-covered face. Another, gentler heat radiated from the woman at his side. A new song came onto the radio, it seemed Fauve had won the fight to change stations, one that brought back memories of a much happier time.

"There's no tomorrow when love is new,

Now is forever when love is true,

So kiss me and hold me tight,

There's no tomorrow,

There's just tonight."

He sang along quietly with Tony Martin. All he needed was cheap beer and girl in his arms and he would be back in high school, driving to the beach for some late night surfing with his friends.

There was no beer, however... Eyes still closed, he wrapped one arm around Chloe and dragged her closer. She came willing, leaning her head on his shoulder. A smile crept up onto his lips as he smelled the clean scent of her shampoo. No floral scented crap here, just plain soap and something vaguely minty. It completed his daydream.

Him and Chloe, not as the angst-ridden adults they were now, but a high school rebel and his sweetheart on their way to spend the weekend on the beach. The background noise of Tripp's laughter and Fauve's chatter made it all the more real. A feeling of youthful carelessness rose up and with it the desire to laugh out loud for no reason.

Fauve, while happily chattering away at a mile-a-minute pace, was

keeping close tabs on both Chloe and Jack. It was subtle, and no one noticed (least of all the couple currently in question). Tripp was currently in the middle of a ridiculous story that somehow involved four cups of tea and a very excited young woman, with Benny occasionally offering a comment or two.

Fauve nodded as Tripp went on and on, trying her hardest to seem interested. She bristled inside when she noticed in the corner of her eye Jack throwing an arm around Chloe and pulling her close. She still didn't fully trust him. Yes, Chloe seemed practically swooning, (which was something; Chloe did not swoon,) and yes, she was happy for her friend, but that didn't mean she had to completely consent.

In her mind, Jack Bauer still had a heavy debt to repay, and a strong bad image to lose. So far things seemed okay, but as far as Fauve had heard, things never went smoothly when Jack was involved.

With an inaudible sigh, Fauve decided to give the to-be-couple their privacy and returned to trying to live through Tripp's tale.


	19. A Mean Right Hook

A/N: Okay, I do have an excuse. My boss is a mean SOB who dumped the new girl's load on me. Thanks to my mei-mei Jass who wrote Fauve and Chloe's conversation.

* * *

TC was prepping the chopper when Benny pulled up next to the landing pad. He waved cheerfully at the new arrivals, shouting, "What took you so long Benny?"

Chloe roused herself and clambered out of the bed of the pick-up with experienced grace. Tripp and Fauve somehow managed to get out the door at the same time without falling flat on their faces. Moving considerably slower, Jack joined them in greeting the latest competition. Why did Chloe seem to know so many younger men? At least this one was wearing a shirt.

Upon seeing Jack, TC's eyes narrowed, reminding the agent of Fauve. "Hey, Chlo. I see Fi finally dragged you away from your computer."

Snorting Chloe muttered, "Literally."

At TC's glance, Tripp held up his hands and responded, "I don't know anything 'bout this, T. Though I'd love to hear it."

Both TC and Tripp looked expectantly at Chloe. She flushed slightly and answered, "Fauve kinda stormed in and forcibly kidnapped me right in front of my boss." After a moments pause, she added, "And she brought Jack along too."

Jack noticed Fauve was sidling away from the new guy during Chloe's explanation. Her expression was slightly wary, as if she expected the other shoe to come dropping down at any moment. Jack was enjoying the look immensely. It was nice to see her taken down a couple of notches.

After hearing what had happened, TC appeared to consider for a moment. "Fi," he said in a sing-song voice, "did you really try to abduct a Federal Agent."

"It wasn't abduction, per se," Fauve defended herself, "the victim went willingly. And I explained what was going on to her boss."

TC raised an eyebrow. "Meaning you fed him a line of BS."

Rolling her eyes, Fauve snapped, "The ends justify the means in this case."

Watching them bicker, Jack leaned over and breathed into Chloe's ear, "I feel like I'm missing something here."

Chloe smiled up at him and whispered back, "Fauve is an only child, but TC is her cousin. They're practically siblings."

A particularly nasty, "Look who's talking, fly-boy," interrupted Jack and Chloe's conversation. Tripp had moved to stand between the two combatants, holding them apart with a hand the sternum. It was a comic sight, harassed looking Tripp separating the broad shoulder pilot from the tiny psychiatrist, like a little terrier going after a mastiff.

However, Chloe appeared to be deriving a great deal of amusement from the situation. Snickering when TC began a bout of name calling, she told Jack, "They'll wind down in a few moments. Either that or Tripp will shut TC up."

As Jack watched, Tripp prevented Fauve from lunging at TC. "They always like this?"

Shaking her head, "Nope. Normally they get along really well. But when they do fight it's not pretty. Hold on," Chloe leapt forward and caught TC's wrist before he could take a swing at his cousin. Tripp gave her a grateful smile as she cut loose on the both of them. "Stop it! Right now! Or I'll have Jack stop it!"

Scowling fiercely, both combatants withdrew. TC stormed over to the chopper to finish his preflight, while Fauve crossed her arms and sulked. Jack stared incredulously at Chloe, "I'll stop it?"

Unruffled, Chloe replied, "Yes, you would. You're too nice of a guy to let TC or Fauve beat up on Tripp or each other." There was a darkly muttered statement from Fauve that Jack didn't catch, but made Chloe glare at the woman. "That wasn't nice."

Clearing her throat, Fauve looked up, "It wasn't supposed to be."

To Jack's surprise, Tripp was the one who stepped in. Laying one hand defensively on Jack's shoulder, he drawled, "Hey, little sister. You're still running hot. Why don't you take a few minutes to cool down, 'kay. Chlo, turn down the laser vision, beautiful. Fi won't do us much good as a pile of ash. Jack, my man, you want to help me with the bags."

Out of a sense of self-preservation Jack followed Tripp to the bags. The tension between the two women had ratcheted up the scale to uncomfortable. Hesitantly, he asked Tripp, "Are Fauve and Chloe...?"

Tripp shrugged stoically. "They don't really argue. Fi snaps and Chlo stands there glaring, and they do that until Chlo gives or, more likely, Fi feels guilty." He paused a moment, eyeing Jack. "You ought to feel honored. Chlo doesn't usually defend her men against Fi," a sarcastic snort, "not that any of them deserve it. Hell, you're the first one since that rat-bastard to meet the family."

Deciding that while Tripp might be competition, he was also a font of information, Jack asked, "Rat-bastard?"

Nodding, Tripp began picking up bags and putting them in the chopper's cargo sling. "Spence...or something like that. I had to talk T and Fi out of killing him. Of course, I wanted to do the deed myself. But T said if he couldn't then I couldn't."

"'Course, the dude deserves it. Chlo actually cared about him. She doesn't care 'bout a whole lot of people, man. But when she does, she really cares." He shook his head in disgust. "Rat-bastard, broke her damn heart. Broke ours too seeing her like that, blaming herself for not being 'good enough.' I tell you man, I'd love to hand whoever hurt Chlo so bad over to Fi."

Jack grunted as he lifted another piece of cargo up to Tripp. "Fauve, why not TC?"

Grinning, Tripp explained, "T may be a bad-ass ex-Nightstalker, but Fi...Man, Fi's got what we call imagination." The word was loaded with wryness, respect, and not a little fear. "TC might torture'em a bit, but he'll just kill'em. Fi will make'em wish they were dead and leave'em hanging there. Girl's got no concept of mercy. The whole 'revenge is best served cold' thing."

Lifting up the last container, Jack asked, "And Chloe?"

"Breaks noses," Tripp replied factually. "Pray she never catches you with a right hook." He shuddered pointedly. "Put at least two guys I know of in the ER." Seeing Jack's stunned look he added hastily, " 'Course it was justified. Chlo's to sweet to go around beating up random guys. They swung first."

Jack was still fixated on the previous facts, "Breaks noses?" Dammit, was that a sqeak in his voice.

---------------------------------

"What'd you think they're talking about?"

Chloe followed Fauve's line of sight, and watched as Jack and Tripp engaged in what could only be described as 'manly conversation' while messing with the luggage. She told Fauve so, at which the petite shrink burst into a fit of giggles.

They had, effectively, made up. It was rare for the two of them to fight, despite the fact that they were as different as night and day. (Fauve would insist without hesitation that she was the 'night' part of that equation, while Chloe was 'day'.)

The Hawaiian stole a glance at her friend and couldn't help the smile that popped up. Chloe was practically glowing. For the first time in months (if not years...) the analyst looked happy. And it was genuine, too. That thought made her frown briefly.

She had known Chloe wasn't happy, but now that she did a side-by-side comparison, the poor girl had been downright miserable before. Why the hell hadn't she seen it sooner? She knew how Chloe was when she was happy and content- relaxed, easy-going, and generally a very fun person when she wasn't being stubborn. It should've been obvious.

But, no, she had ignored all the signs. And she called herself a shrink...

Fauve yelped when she felt a small pinch on her arm, and smacked Chloe's hand away with a glare. "What was that for?"

The blonde shrugged and smiled. "You were thinking too hard."

"Look who's talking!"

Chloe snorted, before her expression turned serious. "What were you thinking about? You looked upset..."

Fauve paused, "...you."

Chloe's attention was suddenly focused on her shoes. There was a spare thread on her right toe... "I've told you; I don't like it when you analyze me."

"I wasn't-" At Chloe's glare, she bit her lip. "Well, maybe just a little..."

A small, awkward pause passed between them. Fauve broke it, "...Chlo?"

"Hmm?"

"How come you never told me how unhappy you were?"

Chloe slowly dragged her vision up to meet her friend, and swallowed in an almost guilty fashion. "I didn't want you to worry. You have enough bouncing around in that head of yours."

Fauve gave a smile at that. "Yeah, but you still should've said something. I would have kidnapped you sooner."

They shared a laugh at that. Fauve sobered, and then, deciding they needed a switch of topic, blurted out, "Did I tell you Tommy's going to be there?"

Chloe brightened instantly. "Little Tommy? Little Tommy who used to try and eat my hair?"

"The one and the same. Only, he's not so little anymore... still tries to eat hair, though..."

Chloe let out a coo. "How old is he now? The last time I saw him, he was... what? Six months?"

Fauve nodded. "Something like that. He's three and a half, now. Such a little monster... Claire and Dave were in town on business, and they decided to dump the little monster on us. Which means we get to play with the baby!"

"And spoil him rotten before passing him back to your cousins."

Fauve snorted. "They already thought I was a bad influence; apparently I destroy childhoods..."

Another peal of laughter floated out at that.


	20. Jackie?

A/N: I know I've been bad about updating. But Jass is sick and I wrote a 23 page Day 6 story so don't through rotten vegetation.

* * *

Fauve had her arm around Chloe's shoulders when the two women approached Tripp and Jack. Chloe was laughing so it seemed to woman had made up. "Jackie, Jackie," Fauve waved frantically running towards the men. Jack felt his jaw drop, no one had ever called him that before. "Jackie," Fauve was breathing a little harder than normal, "come on, come on, come on. We got an island to get to. She grabbed his wrist and tugged lightly before skipping back to Chloe and repeating the action on the other woman.

Chloe grinned at Jack as she allowed herself to be dragged forward. "Fauve, we have all day," she pointed out mildly as they came to a stop in front of Jack.

To the side, Tripp was leaning against the chopper wearing a grin very similar to Chloe's. Drawling, he chided humorously, "Don't rip her arm off now, Fi. I don't think Jackie would appreciate it."

"Oh, God," Jack groaned and buried his face in his hands. It seemed he too had been saddled with a nickname. "Chloe?" he begged helplessly.

Looking far to cheerful, Chloe patted his arm. "Welcome to the family, Jack. I would suggest you get used to it because everyone's going to be calling you that now." She climbed into the chopper and turned around to face him, "Come on, Jack. We're going." The slightly exasperated tone was familiar enough and made Jack smile.

Tripp clapped Jack on the shoulder as he followed Chloe, "Congrads, Jackie. Seems you managed to pass the first stage of the Fi approval process. Just hang in there, man. I'm rooting for ya."

Scowling at Tripp, Fauve got in next, "Don't give Jackie any false hope," she complained. "I'm not finished with him." Tripp just patted her head. Mumbling to herslef, she strapped in. Chloe assisted Jack, who didn't really need any help but was enjoying the proximety. Slamming the door shut, Tripp went through the passenger area up to the co-pilot's seat. TC was already strapped into the pilot's chair.

All the passengers put on their head sets. After a crackling noise, TC spoke over the comm. "Thank you for choosing Akana Airlines. Please keep your hands and feet inside the cab at all times. If you feel the need to jump, please push Fi out with you. And new guy, if you get sick all over my seats I will shoot you. Clear?"

With an evil smirk, Fauve adjusted her headset until the microphone was in front of her mouth. "Oh, T," she said too sweetly, "I wouldn't try pulling that bad-ass Nightstalker stuff on Jackie. He used to be a pilot with Delta Force. You two can see who spins fly-boy BS better when we get home." TC gave a wordless snarl at his cousin. Fauve looked pleased with herself despite Chloe smacking her on the arm.


	21. Meeting Mom

A/N: I know I have been guilty of not updating. But and I don't like each other right now.

Of all the surprises Jack had gottten that day, Fauve's mother topped the list. Normal people's children did not kidnap best friends and said best friends' co-workers and haul them to Hawaii. Apparently this DA's daughter did. Leda Akana was every inch a lawyer from her practical heels to the ironed collar of the white blouse she wore underneath her dark pant suit. She greated her only child and various guests with a reserved smile.

Fauve shrieked with happiness and ran to the older woman. Leaping at her with a cry of "Mommy!" Leda laughed and embraced her daughter.

Extending one hand she called, "He mai Chloe! Mai! Mai!" Chloe slipped her hand out of Jack's and allowed herself to to pulled into the hug.

"Aloha 'oe, Nana," the blonde greeted the graying, older version of Fauve. "I missed you."

Squeezing the two women, Leda replied, "I've missed you both. You need to come see me more often. Especially you Chlo. I don't see enough of my only blonde daughter." Smiles and kisses were passed around the three women.

Drawing away, Leda called to the others, "E komo mai! Mai! Welcome!" She walked through her guests. Finally reminding Jack of her daughter the graying woman kissed Tripp and TC on the cheek and stopped in front of him. "Aloha e Jackie. Welcome to Awapuhi Island. Also known as the Insane Asylum when the whole family is here." To Jack's embarassment she kissed him on both cheeks. Patting his arm she led the small procession into the house. Fuave bounced around her like an eager puppy.

Jack fell in next to Chloe. "Let me get this straight, Fauve is the daughter of Honolulu's top prosecutor?" With a smirk, Chloe nodded. "Oh, man," Jack groaned. "This is wrong on so many levels."

"Don't worry," Chloe let him have her hand again. "Leda is more laid back than Fauve, more years under her belt. Plus, Fauve takes after her dad."

Rolling his eyes, Jack mumbled, "Great."

Wearing a sad smile, Chloe said softly, "Fauve's father died when she was seven. He was part of Doctor's Without Borders in Bosnia when the ethnic cleansing was going on." Jack blanched slightly. "Yeah, he was also native Hawaiian, they mistook him for a Muslim. It's not a problem but I thought you might like to know ahead of time."

"Shit," Jack muttered to himself.

Shrugging, Chloe responded, "Don't worry about it."

Trying to lighten the mood Jack offered, "At least she comes by the craziness honestly."

A happy cry came up from ahead. "Auntie Fi! Auntie Fi!" A dark-haired little boy ran up to Fauve and hugged her legs so eagerly he tripped her up. Climbing out of the mess, he giggled and made a beeline for Chloe. "Auntie Chlo! Auntie Chlo!"

Laughing, Chloe kneeled to embrace the child. "Hey Tommy. Are you abusing Fauve again?"

"Yep, yep, yep," the kid barked eargerly. "She's fun to abooze."

Fauve sat up with a groan. Glaring at Chloe she mumbled resentfully, "I blame your evil influence."

Tartly, Chloe reminded her, "You said it yourself Fauve, c'est la vie. So stop being a hypocrite."

Pullling himself out of Chloe's arms, the small child then threw himself at Tripp and TC. "Nuncle 'Rip! Nuncle T!" Jack took a step backwards and eyed the eager ball of energy warily. Bouncing away from his two 'uncles,' the kid stopped in front of Jack and tipped his head. "Who're you?"

Hurrying over, Chloe came to Jack's rescue, scooping up the kid. "Tommy, this is your Uncle Jack."

"Jackie," Fauve corrected with an evil smirk. Momentarialy taking his eyes of the kid, Jack glared at Fauve. That was all Tommy needed to wiggle free and throw himself onto Jack.

"Nuncle Jackie!"

Jaw clenched, Jack patted the boy's back awkwardly, mouthing, 'I'm going to kill you,' at Fauve. She smiled cheerfully and made a signed a very rude phrase at him. Leda smacked the back of her daughters head making her jump. Jack snickered in pleasure. That earned him a gentle swat on the tail.

Some sense of peace restored, Leda announced, "Okay. Everyone inside for dinner before I get out the hose."

Chloe grabbed Jack's hand. "Run," she ordered dragging him along. "Don't ask, just run." Obediently Jack matched her stride, scooping up Tommy and carrying him along. They burst through the doors into the lobby of the hotel and out back to the winddeck. Fauve had beaten them and was already at the table loading up her plate as fast as she could.

Upon seeing Chloe and her entourage, she warned, "The boys are on their way up."

Chloe nodded and grabbed three plates, filling them with food from the steaming dishes as rapidly as she dared. Startled, Jack dropped into a chair and sat Tommy on his lap. Chloe shoved two of the plates in front of him. "Eat," she advised. "It's your own fault if you go hungry in this house. Though once the boys get to it, well... Watch your fingers."

Feeling like he was back in basic, Jack wolfed down his food barely chewing. He was determined to eat enough his stomach hurt and still manage deseret. The food was hot and homecooked. Better than the take-out he'd been living off of.

"Wow," Fauve swallowed her half-chewed mouthful and let her jaw drop. Jack was putting away the meal like he'd been starving to death. Tommy wasn't any better, stealing from Jack's plate and shoving his vegetables off on the older man, who just patted him absently on the head. "He's as bad as Tripp."

Snorting, Chloe gestured over to where Tripp and TC were eating in a similar fashion to Jack. "At this rate, house and home might last a couple of days," she said dryly.

"Boys will be boys," Leda said serenely, sitting between the two women. Eyes sparkling mischeivously she added, "There are three things you need to keep a man, Chloe. His heart, his stomach, and his..."

TC interupted, "Aunt Leda would you pass the rolls."

Blushing, Chloe shoved the basket at him. "Nana, you shouldn't say stuff like that," she muttered softly. Leda just gave a small, careful smile.


End file.
